IMPACT STRENGTH

P R ES EN TED B Y
S .S ELV A P R A K A S H
 Impact strength: resistance to
sudden shock or load.

Impact strength is of importance in

driving concrete piles, in foundations
for machines exerting impulsive
loading, and also when accidental
impact is possible, e.g. when
handling precast concrete members.
 There is no unique relation between
impact strength and static
compressive strength.

For this reason, impact strength has

to be assessed, usually by the ability
of a concrete specimen to withstand
repeated blows and to absorb
energy.
 The number of blows which the concrete
can withstand before reaching the 'no-
rebound' condition indicates a definite state
of damage.

Generally, for a given type of aggregate, the

higher the compressive strength of the
concrete the lower the energy absorbed per
blow before cracking, but the greater the
number of blows to reach 'no-rebound'.
 Hence, the impact strength and the
total energy absorbed by the
concrete increase with its static
compressive strength.

the relation between impact strength

and compressive strength depends
upon the type of coarse aggregate
but the relation depends also on the
 The impact strength of water-stored
concrete is lower than when the
concrete is dry.
Thus, the compressive strength
without reference to storage
conditions does not give an
adequate indication of impact
strength.
 For the same compressive strength,
impact strength is greater for concrete
made with coarse aggregate of greater
angularity and surface roughness,
a feature which suggests that impact
strength of concrete is more closely
related to its flexural strength than to
the compressive strength .
 Thus concrete made with a gravel
coarse aggregate has a low impact
strength owing to the weaker bond
between mortar and coarse
aggregate.

A smaller maximum size of

aggregate significantly improves the
impact strength.
N O N D ESTRU CTIVE TEST

In non destructive methods of testing

, the specimen are not loaded to
failure .
Schm idt ham m er

This test is also known as the

rebound hammer, impact hammer or
sclero-meter test, and is a non-
destructive method of testing
concrete.
The test is based on the principle
that the rebound of an elastic mass
depends on the hardness of the
surface against which the mass
 REBOUND NUMBER:

The mass rebounds from the plunger (still

in contact with the concrete surface), and
the distance travelled by the mass,
expressed as a percentage of the initial
extension of the spring, is called the
rebound number; it is indicated by a rider
moving along a graduated scale.
 The rebound number is an arbitrary
measure since it depends on the
energy stored in the given spring and
on the size of the mass.
 AIM: To measure surface of the
hardness concrete.
APPARATUS: Schmidts hammer test
PROCEDURE:
1. press the plunger against the force
of the spring.
2. push the button the rider will held
in positions
 3. Note down the reading.
4. The compressive strength of the
concrete can be interpolated from
the chart.
5. This shows the relationship
between compressive strength and
rebound number.
CH ART
U ltrasonic pulse velocity test

The principle of this test is that the velocity of

sound in a solid material, V, is a function of the
square root of the ratio of its modulus of
elasticity, E, to its density, p

V = f [gE/ p]^1/2

where g is the acceleration due to gravity.

U PV APPARATU S
 The apparatus generates a pulse of
vibrations at an ultrasonic frequency
which are transmitted by an electro-
acoustics at an ultrasonic frequency
which are transmitted by an electro-
acoustic transducer held in contact with
the surface of the concrete under test.

 After passing through the concrete,

the vibrations are received and
converted to an electrical signal by a
second electro-acoustic transducer,
the signal being fed through an
amplifier to a cathode-ray
oscilloscope.
 The time taken by the pulse to travel
through the concrete is measured by
an electrical timing-unit with
an accuracy of 0.1 microsecond
and, knowing the length of path
travelled through the concrete, the
pulse velocity can be calculated.
KIN D S O F W AVES

longitudinal waves,
shear waves and
surface waves.
These three waves travel at different
speeds. The longitudinal or compression
waves travel about twice as fast as the
other two types. The shear or transverse
waves are not
so fast, the surface waves are the
slowest.
Techniques of M easuring
P ulse Velocity

(a ) Direct transmission.
(b) Indirect transmission.
(c ) Surface transmission